the way you look tonight
by galena
Summary: rewritten draco and hermione shares a moment of laughter and runs around the halls


The Way You Look Tonight  
  
"Granger! Get out of the bathroom NOW! There are still other people who has to get ready for this stupid ball you know."  
  
"There, you happy?" Granger said walking out of the bathroom in just a towel. I had to blink twice to make sure I'm really seeing this. Indeed she was just in a towel, her hair still wet and dripping in her shoulders. She was tiptoeing on her way to her room because her feet were still wet. Then she reached her room and slammed the door.  
  
I had to shake my head to take my mind off her. Lately I have been thinking of her a lot. Maybe this is a side effect of sharing a living quarters with her for the whole term.  
  
I entered the bathroom and turned on the shower, still trying to get rid of thoughts of her. I got in the hot shower, just the way I like it. I closed my eyes and tried to relax. This is my last night at Hogwarts; I need to make the most out of it.  
  
Out of nowhere I smell the scent of her shampoo. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was still alone. I must have lost it already. She has taken over me and yet she doesn't know, hell, even I didn't know that until now.  
  
A month ago in potions were finishing our final project during class. There was only a few students in advanced potions so the room was quiet. Granger was seated in the table beside mine and she was working on her project quietly and I watched her in silence. Her parchment dropped to the floor and she bent over to retrieve it. Then she saw me, she saw me looking at her and she smiled. I smiled back, I guess.  
  
Some day, when I'm awfully low,  
  
when the world is cold,  
  
I will feel a glow just thinking of you  
  
and the way you look tonight.  
  
I entered the Great hall not exactly looking forward to some ball. I know we are all graduating tomorrow but why the bloody hell do we need to have a ball? And why do we have to wear muggle clothes. I was wearing black trousers, green turtleneck shirt and a black coat over it. I felt stuffy, but I look good in it so one night in muggle clothing won't harm that much I assume.  
  
Students were entering the Great hall and I would say they're all taking their sweet time, and I am already getting bored of waiting. I looked around and saw my housemates and started to walk towards them. Pansy Parkinson for once looked like a girl in her light pink gown. She was talking with Zambini who seemed to not mind that she was hitting on him. I reached them and then we heard Professor Dumbledore speak.  
  
"May we now call on the head boy, Draco Malfoy, and the head girl, Hermione Granger, for the first dance of the evening."  
  
Soft music started to fill the Hall and the students hushed and looked at the dance floor. I walked a little, only to get away from the crowd, enough to be able to look for Granger.  
  
Then I saw her come out of the crowd opposite where I was. She was wearing a white strapless gown, her hair was not bushy, but they were soft brown waves. They were pulled away her face halfway and loosely hung at her back. She blinked and her eyes twinkled as she waited for me to come forward. There was something different in the way she looked tonight. She was stunningly pretty.  
  
You're lovely, with your smile so warm  
  
and your cheeks so soft,  
  
there is nothing for me but to love you,  
  
and the way you look tonight.  
  
After realizing that I was staring at her and not moving, someone pushed me to move. I didn't know who it was but whoever it is. I made a mental note to myself to thank him afterwards.  
  
She saw me and smiled. Not a grin or a smirk. It was a shy one and even her eyes smiled at me. I never new eyes could smile. That's the same smile she gave me a month ago in potions. God, how can I resist that smile? It has haunted me for so long.  
  
I walked towards her, never losing eye contact; she was still smiling at me. I felt as if it was just us in the Great hall. I extended my hands to her, slowly bowing and she curtsied. If I weren't charmed by her smile I would have thought this was such a silly thing. I guided her to the center of the hall and slowly we started to dance.  
  
Was this the same Hermione Granger I met seven years ago? Yesterday she was just screaming at me in our quarters for leaving my wet towel in her armchair. She looked really funny when she was screaming, her face was getting all worked up and she looked as if she was going to blow. She was so cute when she threw my towel back at me and I just laughed it off. I never tried to hurl any insult back at her. I was too busy admiring her. I think she got pissed off at me because she slammed her door at my face after that.  
  
She rested her head in my shoulders, as if she's tired from dancing and a few strands of her hair fell to her face. I wanted to tuck it back behind her ear, just to see how she would react, so I did, and I was expecting her to hex me to the other world. My fingers brushed into her cheeks and they felt so soft.  
  
With each word your tenderness grows,  
  
tearing my fears apart  
  
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,  
  
Touches my foolish heart.  
  
And then the song ended. She lifted her head from my shoulder, smiled that sweet smile of hers and said, "thanks Malfoy" and started to walk away in the pool of couples dancing.  
  
"Hermione"  
  
She turned back to face me. "Say my name again" she said.  
  
"Hermione. can, can we talk outside"  
  
"Of course. Draco"  
  
I never knew this day would come, Hermione Granger, alone, and me speaking to her civilly. Honestly I didn't know what I wanted to tell her. I just know that I have wasted all our years together in Hogwarts making her life a living hell, and maybe, just maybe I wanted to say sorry for what I have done to her. Maybe I wanted to tell her that I find her pretty. and that I am beginning to like her.  
  
"What did you want to talk about?" She asked sitting down at the steps of the stairs looking up to me like a curious little girl.  
  
"Um, nothing really." I replied, sitting down beside her staring at my shoes.  
  
"Are you sure?" She asked once more smiling. She just sat there looking if she knew something that I didn't. "Stop looking at me that way!" Don't you know how pretty you look when you're like that?  
  
She giggled and said, "Well ok. I'll stop." Then there was silence.  
  
I remembered one time during a prefects meeting that we were conducting. Hermione got really mad at me for making fun of her in front of all the prefects. She just sat quietly in her seat and she wasn't talking to anyone. I felt guilty afterwards. I wanted to take back what I said, hug her and say sorry for what I've done.  
  
"Granger, I mean Hermione. what will you do after we graduate? After tomorrow?"  
  
She sighed, "To be honest, I, I don't know yet. I've been getting owls from magical universities, saying that they'll give me scholarship if I wanted to continue studying. But I just really want to relax, I want to travel, see the other side of the world then when I have seen about 10 countries or so I'll come back, think of getting a job or something like that. How about you? Joining your father in the inner circle of."  
  
"Honestly Granger, do you think I would want to take orders from that silly old fag who couldn't even kill potter as a kid?"  
  
Then she laughed. Really laughed, like those that she shares with potty and weasel. I never really saw it up close, and now I know that when she laughs, her nose would wrinkle in a cute way. And I started to smile. Yes, smile. Not smirk. For the first time I was having a laugh with Hermione Granger.  
  
"Find something interesting, Malfoy?"  
  
"Actually there is something. Did you ever notice that your nose scrunches when you laugh?" I pinched her nose as I said this, I don't know what came over me.  
  
"It does?"  
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
"You are so going to pay for that Malfoy!"  
  
"Only if you can catch me." I said as I stood up and started to run off leaving Hermione laughing as she was standing up and hiking up her gown and started to run after me.  
  
Yes you're lovely, never, ever change  
  
Keep that breathless charm.  
  
Won't you please arrange it?  
  
'Cause I love you  
  
just the way you look tonight.  
  
I stopped running and found myself breathless and standing in front of the portrait to our living quarters. A few seconds later Hermione arrived, still laughing.  
  
"So what now?" Hermione asked leaning by the wall.  
  
"Has anyone ever told you that you are so pretty?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Did I just say that out loud?"  
  
She just smiled and nodded her head.  
  
"Stop smiling."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it makes me want to kiss you."  
  
She just smiled more and I did kiss her.  
  
Author's note: Uber thanks to the people who sang this song! Esp the version in My Best friend's Wedding and Michael Buble's, it has been the ultimate inspiration for this story. Special thanks to Mea for telling me to continue writing and to Jess for being my so-called long lost sister. Lastly, I want to propose a toast. to boredom and it's wonderful products. 


End file.
